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This excerpt taken from the EQR DEF 14A filed Apr 16, 2009. These excerpts taken from the EQR 8-K filed Sep 16, 2008. ARTICLE III TRUSTEES Section 11. Vacancies. The amended Bylaws now conform to the Maryland General Corporation Law. Section 12. Compensation. The amended Bylaws delete the provision that allowed the Company to provide financial assistance to Trustees. Sections 13 and 14 of the former Bylaws. Loss of Deposits; Surety Bonds. The amended Bylaws delete, as unnecessary and outdated, these former sections relating to Loss of Deposits and Surety Bonds.
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Section 13. Reliance. The amended Bylaws more closely conform to the reliance language of the Maryland General Corporation Law. Section 16. Ratification. The amended Bylaws provide that the Board of Trustees or the shareholders may ratify any prior action or inaction by the Company or its officers they could have originally authorized. Section 18. Emergency Provisions. The amended Bylaws provide for procedures to call a meeting of the Board of Trustees in the event of a catastrophe or similar emergency. TRUSTEES Section 1. GENERAL POWERS, QUALIFICATIONS, TRUSTEES HOLDING OVER. The business and affairs of the Company shall be managed under the direction of its Board of Trustees. A Trustee shall be an individual at least 21 years of age who is not under legal disability. In case of failure to elect Trustees at an annual meeting of the shareholders, the Trustees holding over shall continue to direct the management of the business and affairs of the Company until their successors are elected and qualify. Section 2. NUMBER. At any regular meeting or at any special meeting called for that purpose, a majority of the entire Board of Trustees may establish, increase or decrease the number of Trustees; provided, however, that the number thereof shall never be less than two nor more than 15, and further provided that such action shall not affect the tenure of office of any Trustee. Section 3. ANNUAL AND REGULAR MEETINGS. An annual meeting of the Board of Trustees shall be held at least once per calendar year, no notice other than this Bylaw being necessary. In the event such meeting is not so held, the meeting may be held at such time and place as shall be specified in a notice given as hereinafter provided for special meetings of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees may provide, by resolution, the time and place for the holding of regular meetings of the Board of Trustees without other notice than such resolution. Section 4. SPECIAL MEETINGS. Special meetings of the Board of Trustees may be called by or at the request of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or by a majority of the Trustees then in office. The person or persons authorized to call special meetings of the Board of Trustees may fix any place as the place for holding any special meeting of the Board of Trustees called by them. The Board of Trustees may provide, by resolution, the time and place for the holding of special meetings of the Board of Trustees without other notice than such resolution. Section 5. NOTICE. Notice of any special meeting of the Board of Trustees shall be delivered personally or by telephone, electronic mail, facsimile transmission, courier or United States mail to each Trustee at his or her business or residence address. Notice by personal delivery, telephone, electronic mail or facsimile transmission shall be given at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Notice by United States mail shall be given at least three days prior to the meeting. Notice by courier shall be given at least two days prior to the meeting. Telephone notice
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shall be deemed to be given when the Trustee or his or her agent is personally given such notice in a telephone call to which the Trustee or his or her agent is a party. Electronic mail notice shall be deemed to be given upon transmission of the message to the electronic mail address given to the Company by the Trustee. Facsimile transmission notice shall be deemed to be given upon completion of the transmission of the message to the number given to the Company by the Trustee and receipt of a completed confirmation indicating receipt. Notice by United States mail shall be deemed to be given when deposited in the United States mail properly addressed, with postage thereon prepaid. Notice by courier shall be deemed to be given when deposited with or delivered to a courier properly addressed. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any annual, regular or special meeting of the Board of Trustees need be stated in the notice, unless specifically required by statute or these Bylaws. Section 6. QUORUM. A majority of the Trustees shall constitute a quorum for transaction of business at any meeting of the Board of Trustees, provided that, if less than a majority of such Trustees is present at such meeting, a majority of the Trustees present may adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice, and provided further that if, pursuant to applicable law, the Declaration of Trust or these Bylaws, the vote of a majority or other percentage of a particular group of Trustees is required for action, a quorum must also include a majority of such group. The Trustees present at a meeting which has been duly called and at which a quorum was established may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Trustees to leave less than a quorum. Section 7. VOTING. The action of a majority of the Trustees present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the action of the Board of Trustees, unless the concurrence of a greater proportion is required for such action by applicable law, the Declaration of Trust or these Bylaws. If enough Trustees have withdrawn from a meeting to leave less than a quorum but the meeting is not adjourned, the action of the majority of that number of Trustees necessary to constitute a quorum at such meeting shall be the action of the Board of Trustees, unless the concurrence of a greater proportion is required for such action by applicable law, the Declaration of Trust or these Bylaws. Section 8. ORGANIZATION. At each meeting of the Board of Trustees, the Chairman of the Board or, in the absence of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman of the Board, if any, shall act as chairman of the meeting. In the absence of both the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or in the absence of the Chief Executive Officer, the President or in the absence of the President, a Trustee chosen by a majority of the Trustees present, shall act as chairman of the meeting. The Secretary or, in his or her absence, an Assistant Secretary, or in the absence of the Secretary and all Assistant Secretaries, an individual appointed by the chairman of the meeting, shall act as Secretary of the meeting. Section 9. TELEPHONE MEETINGS. Trustees may participate in a meeting by means of a conference telephone or other communications equipment if all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time. Participation in a meeting by these means shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.
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Section 10. CONSENT BY TRUSTEES WITHOUT A MEETING. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board of Trustees may be taken without a meeting, if a consent in writing or by electronic transmission to such action is given by each Trustee and is filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board of Trustees. Section 11. VACANCIES. If for any reason any or all the Trustees cease to be Trustees, such event shall not terminate the Company or affect these Bylaws or the powers of the remaining Trustees hereunder. Any vacancy on the Board of Trustees for any cause other than an increase in the number of Trustees may be filled by a majority of the remaining Trustees, even if such majority is less than a quorum. Any vacancy in the number of Trustees created by an increase in the number of Trustees may be filled by a majority vote of the entire Board of Trustees. Any individual so elected a Trustee shall hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until his or her successor is elected and qualifies. Section 12. COMPENSATION. Trustees shall not receive any stated salary for their services as Trustees but, by resolution of the Board of Trustees, may receive compensation per year and/or per meeting and/or per visit to real property or other facilities owned, leased or to be acquired or leased by the Company and for any service or activity they performed or engaged in as Trustees. Trustees may be reimbursed for expenses of attendance, if any, at each annual, regular or special meeting of the Board of Trustees or of any committee thereof; and for their expenses, if any, in connection with each property visit and any other service or activity they performed or engaged in as Trustees; but nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude any Trustees from serving the Company in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor. Section 13. RELIANCE. Each Trustee and officer of the Company shall, in the performance of his or her duties with respect to the Company, be entitled to rely on any information, opinion, report or statement, including any financial statement or other financial data, prepared or presented by an officer or employee of the Company whom the Trustee or officer reasonably believes to be reliable and competent in the matters presented, by a lawyer, certified public accountant or other person, as to a matter which the Trustee or officer reasonably believes to be within the persons professional or expert competence, or, with respect to a Trustee, by a committee of the Board of Trustees on which the Trustee does not serve, as to a matter within its designated authority, if the Trustee reasonably believes the committee to merit confidence. Section 14. INTERESTED TRUSTEE TRANSACTIONS. Section 2-419 of the MGCL shall be available for and apply to any contract or other transaction between the Company and any of its Trustees or between the Company and any other trust, corporation, firm or other entity in which any of its Trustees is a trustee or director or has a material financial interest. Section 15. RESIGNATION AND REMOVAL OF TRUSTEES. The shareholders may, at any time, remove any Trustee in the manner provided in the Declaration of Trust. Any Trustee of the Company may resign at any time by giving written notice of his or her resignation to the Board of Trustees. Any resignation shall take effect immediately upon its receipt or at such later time specified in the notice of resignation. The acceptance of a resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective unless otherwise stated in the resignation. Such resignation shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the Company
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Section 16. RATIFICATION. The Board of Trustees or the shareholders may ratify and make binding on the Company any action or inaction by the Company or its officers to the extent that the Board of Trustees or the shareholders could have originally authorized the matter. Moreover, any action or inaction questioned in any shareholders derivative proceeding or any other proceeding on the ground of lack of authority, defective or irregular execution, adverse interest of a trustee, officer or shareholder, non-disclosure, miscomputation, the application of improper principles or practices of accounting, or otherwise, may be ratified, before or after judgment, by the Board of Trustees or by the shareholders, and if so ratified, shall have the same force and effect as if the questioned action or inaction had been originally duly authorized, and such ratification shall be binding upon the Company and its shareholders and shall constitute a bar to any claim or execution of any judgment in respect of such questioned action or inaction. Section 17. CERTAIN RIGHTS OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS. A Trustee who is not also an officer of the Company shall have no responsibility to devote his or her full time to the affairs of the Company. Any Trustee or officer, in his or her personal capacity or in a capacity as an affiliate, employee, or agent of any other person, or otherwise, may have business interests and engage in business activities similar to or in addition to those of or relating to the Company. Section 18. EMERGENCY PROVISIONS. Notwithstanding any other provision in the Declaration of Trust or these Bylaws, this Section 18 shall apply during the existence of any catastrophe, or other similar emergency condition, as a result of which a quorum of the Board of Trustees under Article III of these Bylaws cannot readily be obtained (an Emergency). During any Emergency, unless otherwise provided by the Board of Trustees, (i) a meeting of the Board of Trustees or a committee thereof may be called by any Trustee or officer by any means feasible under the circumstances; (ii) notice of any meeting of the Board of Trustees during such an Emergency may be given less than 24 hours prior to the meeting to as many Trustees and by such means as it may be feasible at the time, including publication, television or radio, and (iii) the number of Trustees necessary to constitute a quorum shall be one-third of the entire Board of Trustees. This excerpt taken from the EQR 10-K filed Mar 14, 2005. TRUSTEESSECTION 2.1 Number. The number of Trustees initially shall be two, which number may thereafter be increased or decreased by the Trustees then in office from time to time; however, the total number of Trustees shall be not less than two and not more than 15. No reduction in the number of Trustees shall cause the removal of any Trustee from office prior to the expiration of his term.
SECTION 2.2 Term.
At each annual meeting of Shareholders beginning at the annual meeting of Shareholders in 2003, all Trustees shall be elected to hold office for a term of one year. Trustees may be re-elected any number of times. Each Trustee shall hold office until the election and qualification of his or her successor.
SECTION 2.3 Resignation, Removal or Death. Any Trustee may resign by written notice to the remaining Trustees, effective upon execution and delivery to the Trust of such written notice or upon any future date specified in the notice. A Trustee may be removed, only with Cause (as hereinafter defined), at a meeting of the Shareholders called for that purpose, by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the Shares then outstanding and entitled to vote in the election of Trustees. As used herein, Cause shall mean (a) material theft, fraud or embezzlement or active and deliberate dishonesty by a Trustee; (b) habitual neglect of duty by a Trustee having a material and adverse significance to the Trust; or (c) the conviction of a Trustee of a felony or of any crime involving moral turpitude. Upon the resignation or removal of any Trustee, or his otherwise ceasing to be a Trustee, he shall automatically cease to have any right, title or interest in and to the Trust Property and shall execute and deliver such documents as the remaining Trustees require for the conveyance of any Trust Property held in his name, and shall account to the remaining Trustees as they require for all property which he holds as Trustee. Upon the incapacity or death of any Trustee, his legal representative shall perform those acts.
SECTION 2.4 Legal Title. Legal title to all Trust Property shall be vested in the Trust, but it may cause legal title to any Trust Property to be held by or in the name of any or all of the Trustees or any other Person as nominee, in which case any right, title or interest of the Trustees in and to the Trust Property shall automatically vest in successor and additional Trustees upon their qualification and acceptance of election or appointment as Trustees, and they shall thereupon have all the rights and obligations of Trustees, whether or not conveyancing documents have been executed and delivered pursuant to Section 2.3 or otherwise. Written evidence of the qualification and acceptance of election or appointment of successor and additional Trustees may be filed with the records of the Trust and in such other offices, agencies or places as the Trust or Trustees may deem necessary or desirable.
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